This invention relates to vehicle headlight attachments, particularly to an attachment which is readily attachable to or removable from the headlight of an automotive vehicle thereby providing a protective shield and converting the conventional headlight into a fog light.
It is well known that conditions of fog or rain seriously interfere with the effective use of automotive vehicle headlight systems. Frequently, the reflected glare of a light beam from the fog particles tend to blind the driver of a vehicle as well as the drivers of approaching vehicles. It is also well known that light filters of various types tend, to a large extent, to overcome this difficulty. However, the use of such light filters with conventional automobile headlights has not been too successful because of a number of factors such as the lack of ease in the application of the filters to the headlights when their use is required, the effectiveness of the filter attaching means and the like. Headlight filter attachments are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,544,374 to C. A. Cyr; U.S. Pat. No. 2,734,120 to E. B. Kahla; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,334,220 to P. T. Komiske. These patents disclose that it is well known that visibility can be improved by decreasing the intensity of the light emitted by the headlights. It is also well known that amber or yellow light is particularly advantageous during foggy or raining weather in that it permits greater intensity before the reflection and diffusion becomes unduly bothersome.
The prior art devices disclosed in the patents mentioned above have a number of drawbacks. One employs suction cups as a means for attaching the filter to the headlamp. This means of attachment is not very effective particularly when the headlamps are dirty. In another, the attaching means is a plurality of projections which are received by recesses formed in the headlamp. This type of attachment requires a special headlamp having recesses for receiving the projections, which headlamp is not in common use today. The third prior art device employs magnets for attaching the filter to the vehicle headlights. This is not a particularly convenient mode of attachment and requires that the headlight retention ring extend outwardly from the headlamp providing an attaching surface for the magnets.
The present invention overcomes the foregoing difficulties by providing an apparatus which is very simple and inexpensive in character and which may be quickly and easily attached to and detached from conventional headlamps. In addition, the present invention may also be used without the filter attachment as a protective shield for the headlamps.